The Old Gold will also need to sell a player or two in order to balance the books, but it is still unclear who will replace Max Kilman as Wolverhampton Wanderers look to add young talent to their squad.
The club has made a strong start to their transfer business this summer, bringing in Tommy Doyle, Pedro Lima, and Rodrigo Gomes.
The boss is considering a replacement for the defender, who just joined West Ham United for a £40 million transfer fee. Wolves are considering replacing Kilman. As they look to replace the departing Kilman, Wolves are reportedly showing a “strong interest” in Strahinja Pavlovic, according to Caught Offside.
Although Newcastle United and AC Milan are also big admirers of the Serbian center back, the Old Gold face fierce competition from Chelsea and Aston Villa.
The current RB Salzburg defender is requesting €30 million (£25 million), which might be a problem for the Molineux team given that they made £40 million from Kilman’s departure.
Pavlovic competed for Serbia in the 2024 European Championship, and the defender would undoubtedly be a great addition to the team this summer.
How Max Kilman and Pavlovic are comparable While Serbia lost in the group stage, the 23-year-old excelled at Euro 2024. He made 3.7 tackles, recovered four balls, and won 8.7 total duels each game over the course of three games, for a success percentage of 70%.
Considering how outstanding he was at the club level the previous semester, it was scarcely shocking. On defense, he made 2.5 tackles, recovered 7.3 balls, and won an astounding 8.8 total duels per game.
In leagues comparable to the Austrian Bundesliga, the center-back Pavlovic placed in the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90 (0.73) and in the top 9% for progressive carries per 90 (1.28), demonstrating his forward-thinking qualities even further.
Compared to his positional rivals in the top five leagues in Europe, Kilman did not rank in the top 30% for either successful take-ons or progressive carries per 90, indicating that Pavlovic is a distinct improvement when it comes to bursting forward from defense.
Kilman had a strong defensive season in the Premier League last year, averaging 4.2 total duels won per game, 1.2 tackles made, and 4.7 balls retrieved per game. When contrasting the two defenses, there’s just one victor. O’Neil certainly has to think about acquiring Pavlovic, who would be the perfect replacement for the Englishman.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig described him as an “old school CB” during the 2022 World Cup as Serbia came up against Cameroon, Brazil and Switzerland.
£25m may prove to be a lot on the surface, but if Wolves are aiming for a top-half finish in the league next season, a player of Pavlovic’s ability is a must.
Get related news on
sportchannel.co.uk
Leave a Reply